Saturday, 24 August 2013

Bottled beer in the 1840's

Northern Liberator, Saturday 12 December 1840, page 8.

I been done me some thinking again. It was that article of Lott about bottled beer. The types of Ale that he said were bottled. "I've got a spreadsheet of details taken form price lists. Let's see what bottled beers are in there." That was my thought. Nothing that's going to rewrite human history. But it's mine.

The spreadsheet has over 3,500 entries. Best I cut it down into more digestible chunks by limiting it by date. So we're going to start with the first bottled beers I have, from the 1840's. And what a fascinating bunch they are. That tell quite a story.

I don't have a huge number of examples, only 50-odd in total. And quite a large number of those are for a single brewery, Aitchison. Though that in itself tells a story. It's no coincidence that a Scottish brewery should feature so prominently in the table. Because Scotland was the part of Britain where bottled beer became common the earliest.

Surprisingly, much Scottish was already being packaged in bottled form in the 18th century. More than 100 years before the rise in popularity of bottled beer in England.

But my mean reason for putting together the table below was to see which styles were being bottled. It provides some confirmation of Lott's assertion that the only Ales bottled were IPA, Mild Ale and Strong Ale.

First, I need to explain a little about the styles I've assigned to the beers, in particular those of Aitchison. I've ended up calling most of them "Edinburgh Ale", though some could equally well be classified as Strong Ale and others as Mild Ale. The problem is that it's not always possible to tell which group a beer belongs in by the description. Is "Superior Ale" a Mild Ale or a Strong Ale? I've no idea. Of course, it could be both.

Newcastle Courant, Friday 17 April 1840, page 1

You can see that there was still a certain fluidity in the name given to IPA, with Pale India Ale, Pale Export India Beer and India Ale being used as well as the later standard India Pale Ale and East India Pale Ale. There's an intriguing set of brewers for the IPA's - Bass and Allsopp from Burton, Hodgson & Abbott of London, plus the Scottish brewers Aitchison and Tennent. It's an indication of just how quickly some Scottish brewers started brewing IPA.

There are, indeed, quite a few Strong Ales in the table. Especially when you consider many of the ones I've classified as Edinburgh Ales are also Strong Ales. Even more confusingly, the only beers identified as Mild Ales are also pretty strong, as shown by the prices of 5 and 7 guineas per hogshead. That makes them 105 shillings and 147 shillings respectively. In 1847, William Younger's 100/- had an OG of 1090º and their 140/- one of 1112º*. I assume Aitchison's Mild Ales were of a similar strength.

As I would have expected, there are several Stouts, including Guinness. Their beers were mostly sold in bottled form in England. By the 1840's, Guinness was already selling over 40,000 barrels of Stout annually in England. Sales grew exponentially in the second half of the 19th century, as this table shows.

Guinness Extra Stout sales 1840 - 1890 (barrels)

1840

1850

1860

1870

1880

1890

1900

GB

42,209

44,410

82,690

178,556

207,695

352,109

458,630

Ireland

25,021

26,979

52,594

93,854

201,348

261,359

437,613

Total

67,230

71,389

135,284

272,410

409,043

613,468

896,243

Source:

A Bottle of Guinness, Please by David Hughes, pages 276-279.

The most unexpected beers are the Scottish Table Ale and Dinner Ale. These would have been very low gravity beers for the period. William Younger's Table Ale was between 1033º and 1037º in 1847*. I would be surprised if Aichison's were over 1040º. Scottish brewers had a good reputation for Table Ale and sold quite a lot of it in England. Part of the description probably explains why such a weak beer could be bottled successfully: "highly hopped."

I think that's me all explained out. There's nothing left for me but to leave you with the table:

Bottled beers in the 1840's

Brewery

Place

year

beer

style

price
per dozen

size

source

S. Bloxsome
& Company

Bristol

1849

Alloa Scotch Dinner
Ale

Dinner Ale

2s 6d

"Chilcott's
descriptive history of Bristol", by John Chilcott, 1849

Aitchison

Edinburgh

1840

Edinburgh Ale,
strongest and best made

Edinburgh Ale

8s

reputed quart?

Newcastle Courant -
Friday 17 April 1840. page 1.

Aitchison

Edinburgh

1840

Strong Edinburgh Ale

Edinburgh Ale

6s

reputed quart?

Northern Liberator -
Saturday 12 December 1840, page 8.

Aitchison

Edinburgh

1840

Superior Ale

Edinburgh Ale

4s 6d

reputed quart?

Northern Liberator -
Saturday 12 December 1840, page 8.

Aitchison

Edinburgh

1842

Edinburgh Ale

Edinburgh Ale

4s

quart

Morning Post (London)
- Monday 04 April 1842, page 1.

Aitchison

Edinburgh

1842

Edinburgh Ale

Edinburgh Ale

6s

quart

Morning Post (London)
- Monday 04 April 1842, page 1.

Aitchison

Edinburgh

1842

Edinburgh Ale

Edinburgh Ale

8s

quart

Morning Post (London)
- Monday 04 April 1842, page 1.

Aitchison

Edinburgh

1843

Splendid Edinburgh
Ale, Strongest

Edinburgh Ale

6s

reputed quart?

Newcastle Journal -
Saturday 06 May 1843, page 2.

Aitchison

Edinburgh

1843

Fine Pale Edinburgh
Ale

Edinburgh Ale

4s 6d

reputed quart?

Newcastle Journal -
Saturday 06 May 1843, page 2.

Aitchison

Edinburgh

1843

Splendid Ale

Edinburgh Ale

4s 6d

reputed quart?

Newcastle Journal -
Saturday 05 August 1843, page 1.

Aitchison

Edinburgh

1843

Strongest Ale

Edinburgh Ale

6s

reputed quart?

Newcastle Journal -
Saturday 05 August 1843, page 1.

Aitchison

Edinburgh

1843

Prime Strong Ale (Old
Bottle 1)

Edinburgh Ale

6s

reputed quart?

Newcastle Courant -
Friday 22 December 1843, page 1.

Aitchison

Edinburgh

1843

Prime Strong Ale (Old
Bottle 1)

Edinburgh Ale

4s 6d

reputed quart?

Newcastle Courant -
Friday 22 December 1843, page 1.

Aitchison

Edinburgh

1844

Edinburgh Ale

Edinburgh Ale

3s

reputed quart?

Newcastle Courant -
Friday 10 May 1844, page 1.

Aitchison

Edinburgh

1844

Edinburgh Ale

Edinburgh Ale

4s 6d

reputed quart?

Newcastle Courant -
Friday 10 May 1844, page 1.

Aitchison

Edinburgh

1844

Edinburgh Ale

Edinburgh Ale

6s

reputed quart?

Newcastle Courant -
Friday 10 May 1844, page 1.

Aitchison

Edinburgh

1846

Rich Flavoured
Edinburgh Ale

Edinburgh Ale

4s 6d

reputed quart?

Newcastle Courant -
Friday 19 June 1846, page 1.

Aitchison

Edinburgh

1846

Strongest and Best
Edinburgh Ale

Edinburgh Ale

6s

reputed quart?

Newcastle Courant -
Friday 19 June 1846, page 1.

Aitchison

Edinburgh

1848

Edinburgh Ale

Edinburgh Ale

3s 6d

pint

Hampshire Advertiser
- Saturday 25 November 1848, page 1.

Aitchison

Edinburgh

1848

Edinburgh Ale

Edinburgh Ale

6s

quart

Hampshire Advertiser
- Saturday 25 November 1848, page 1.

Aitchison

Edinburgh

1840

Highly hopped and
attenuated India Ale

IPA

3s

reputed quart?

Northern Liberator -
Saturday 12 December 1840, page 8.

Aitchison

Edinburgh

1842

Pale India Beer

IPA

4s

quart

Morning Post (London)
- Monday 04 April 1842, page 1.

Aitchison

Edinburgh

1843

India Pale Ale, much
esteemed

IPA

3s

reputed quart?

Newcastle Journal -
Saturday 06 May 1843, page 2.

Aitchison

Edinburgh

1843

Superior India Pale
Ale

IPA

3s

reputed quart?

Newcastle Journal -
Saturday 05 August 1843, page 1.

Aitchison

Edinburgh

1843

Pale India Ale

IPA

3s

reputed quart?

Newcastle Courant -
Friday 22 December 1843, page 1.

Allsopp

Burton

1845

India Pale Ale

IPA

5s

quart

Glasgow Herald -
Monday 20 October 1845, page 2.

Allsopp

Burton

1845

India Pale Ale

IPA

2s 6d

pint

Glasgow Herald -
Monday 20 October 1845, page 2.

Aitchison

Edinburgh

1845

Pale Export India
Beer

IPA

3s

quart

Newcastle Courant -
Friday 09 May 1845, page 1.

Aitchison

Edinburgh

1846

Pale Export India
Beer

IPA

3s

reputed quart?

Newcastle Courant -
Friday 19 June 1846, page 1.

Aitchison

Edinburgh

1848

Pale India Ale

IPA

3s 6d

pint

Hampshire Advertiser
- Saturday 25 November 1848, page 1.

Aitchison

Edinburgh

1848

Pale India Ale

IPA

6s

quart

Hampshire Advertiser
- Saturday 25 November 1848, page 1.

S. Bloxsome
& Company

Bristol

1849

East India Pale Ale

IPA

3s 6d

"Chilcott's
descriptive history of Bristol", by John Chilcott, 1849

Bass

Burton

1849

East India Pale Ale

IPA

4s

"Chilcott's
descriptive history of Bristol", by John Chilcott, 1849

Hodgson &
Abbott

London

1849

India Ale

IPA

4s 6d

"Chilcott's
descriptive history of Bristol", by John Chilcott, 1849

Tennent

Glasgow

1849

India Pale Ale

IPA

4s

quart

Glasgow Herald -
Friday 22 June 1849, page 3.

Tennent

Glasgow

1849

India Pale Ale

IPA

2s 6d

pint

Glasgow Herald -
Friday 22 June 1849, page 3.

Aitchison

Edinburgh

1845

Mild Ale (5 guineas a
hogshead)

Mild Ale

4s 6d

quart

Newcastle Courant -
Friday 09 May 1845, page 1.

Aitchison

Edinburgh

1845

Mild Ale (7 guineas a
hogshead)

Mild Ale

6s

quart

Newcastle Courant -
Friday 09 May 1845, page 1.

S. Bloxsome
& Company

Bristol

1849

Dursley Pale Ale

Pale Ale

2s 6d

"Chilcott's
descriptive history of Bristol", by John Chilcott, 1849

Unknown

Dublin

1845

XX Dublin Porter

Porter

4s

quart

Glasgow Herald -
Monday 20 October 1845, page 2.

Unknown

Dublin

1845

XX Dublin Porter

Porter

2s

pint

Glasgow Herald -
Monday 20 October 1845, page 2.

Unknown

London

1849

Brown Stout Porter

Porter

2s 9d

"Chilcott's
descriptive history of Bristol", by John Chilcott, 1849

Georges

Bristol

1849

Strong Old Porter

Porter

4s

"Chilcott's
descriptive history of Bristol", by John Chilcott, 1849

Guinness

Dublin

1845

Extra Stout

Stout

5s

quart

Glasgow Herald -
Monday 20 October 1845, page 2.

Guinness

Dublin

1845

Extra Stout

Stout

2s 6d

pint

Glasgow Herald -
Monday 20 October 1845, page 2.

Unknown

London

1849

Extra Brown Stout

Stout

4s

"Chilcott's
descriptive history of Bristol", by John Chilcott, 1849

Unknown

Dublin

1849

Extra Stout

Stout

3s 4d

"Chilcott's
descriptive history of Bristol", by John Chilcott, 1849

Allsopp

Burton

1845

Burton Strong Ale

Strong Ale

6s

quart

Glasgow Herald -
Monday 20 October 1845, page 2.

Allsopp

Burton

1845

Burton Strong Ale

Strong Ale

3s

pint

Glasgow Herald -
Monday 20 October 1845, page 2.

S. Bloxsome
& Company

Bristol

1849

Strong October Beer

Strong Ale

4s 6d

"Chilcott's
descriptive history of Bristol", by John Chilcott, 1849

Aitchison

Edinburgh

1840

Edinburgh Table Ale,
highly Hopped, an excellent Stomachic

Table Ale

3s

reputed quart?

Newcastle Courant -
Friday 17 April 1840. page 1.

Aitchison

Edinburgh

1840

High hopped Table Ale

Table Ale

3s

reputed quart?

Northern Liberator -
Saturday 12 December 1840, page 8.

* William Younger brewing record held at the Scottish Brewing Archive, document number WY/6/1/2/3.

2 comments:

Wasn't a lot of export ale from Scotland destined for the Southern Ports of Charleston, Savannah and Mobile? Indicating that the landed gentry of the South retained a taste for Ale or were slow to attain a taste for lager.